Thursday, April 28, 2011

One of the tasks that I used to dread but now not so much is shearing all of these fleecy critters! Our shearing days have really evolved... from me HAND shearing most of our alpacas and llamas, to using a shearing table with a professional shearer, to having a pro but still having to do a LOT of the physical restraint ourselves, to now.

For the last 4-5 years we have used a team of shearers from Ohio that come in for the day and pretty much do it ALL. My old bones are very appreciative! It's still an exhausting and long day of keeping the animals moved around, giving worming injections, scooping up the fleece and bagging it, and sweeping up the trimmings, but not as bad as before!

We have been inviting our clients with just a few animals to bring them here for shearing (and they all pitch in, too, which is appreciated!) and this year's total for llamas and alpacas (both ours and clients) was 80..... plus two sheep. Much better than the 120 or so we did in a day a few years ago! We're having good luck with getting our herd numbers down a bit, and I can feel the difference on shearing day.

The alpacas are always relieved to have it over with, too, and they are much better prepared for hot weather now!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sorry it's been a while since I posted here, spring is just such a whirlwind on the farm! That being said, we have a few nice crias on the ground, shearing is behind us, and we're STILL waiting on lambs and more crias to be born.

Our big news this spring is that we're offering our elite stud, El Nino's Accoyo Michelangelo, in the AOBA National Auction in Denver on May 20th! It was a tough decision, but our three partners and I all feel that Michelangelo has made a supreme impact on our herds but he's still in his prime at only 7 and 1/2 years old and he can benefit other farms now! For a while, I'll be feauturing Michelangelo here on the blog as there is just so much to say about him! (And, I'd love to tell you about the sons we've retained in our breeding program as well!)

For now, enjoy the video which features Michelangelo and many of his winning offspring!

Who We Are, What We Do

Located in Bluegrass Horse Country, between Lexington, Versailles and Frankfort, we are just a few miles from Woodford Reserve Distillery.

We have had llamas since 1992 and alpacas since 1994, which we raise for fiber, show, and breeding stock.

We are again offering llama trekking. A llama trek is a hike through the woods and meadows with a gentle llama at your side for companionship and to carry your things. For more details on our treks, check out this page.

We sell products hand made from our alpaca and llama fiber- yarn, roving, felted hats and soaps, and many other unique items. Lindy is a fiber artist, specializing in felting, and she occasionally offers classes on the farm. Please call ahead for an appointment!

About Me

I'm an alpaca breeder and fiber artist (I knit, spin, felt, and dye our alpaca's fiber), mom and wife, rider, cook, and farm girl! I am blessed to live in a beautiful place with lots of great (and sometimes not-so-great) happenings to share! PLEASE share any comments you may have and visit often.